In this groundbreaking audiobook,
New York Times best-selling author Steven Kotler decodes the mystery of ultimate human performance. Drawing on over a decade of research and first-hand reporting with dozens of top action and adventure sports athletes like big wave legend Laird Hamilton, big mountain snowboarder Jeremy Jones, and skateboarding pioneer Danny Way, Kotler explores the frontier science of “flow”, an optimal state of consciousness in which we perform and feel our best.

2 out of 5 stars

There is no way some of these reviews are real

By
Mike
on
05-01-15

Stealing Fire

How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work

By:
Steven Kotler,
Jamie Wheal

Narrated by:
Fred Sanders

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,251

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,737

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,724

The authors of the best-selling
Bold and
The Rise of Superman explore altered states of consciousness and how they can ignite passion, fuel creativity, and accelerate problem solving, in this groundbreaking book in the vein of Daniel Pink's
Drive and Charles Duhigg's
Smarter Faster Better.

1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing. Not what it promises to be.

By
R8r
on
03-18-17

Bold

How to Go Big, Make Bank, and Better the World

By:
Peter H. Diamandis,
Steven Kotler

Narrated by:
Steven Kotler

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,122

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,683

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,666

Bold is a radical, how-to guide for using exponential technologies, moonshot thinking, and crowd-powered tools to create extraordinary wealth while also positively impacting the lives of billions.

5 out of 5 stars

Great book

By
SiuMoi
on
02-20-15

Abundance

The Future Is Better Than You Think

By:
Steven Kotler,
Peter H. Diamandis

Narrated by:
Arthur Morey

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,650

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,143

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,131

We will soon be able to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. This bold, contrarian view, backed up by exhaustive research, introduces our near-term future, where exponentially growing technologies and three other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions of people. This book is an antidote to pessimism by tech-entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler.

5 out of 5 stars

Hope with Confidence

By
Dan
on
07-25-12

Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal on Optimizing Your Consciousness

By:
Stephen Kotler,
Jamie Wheal

Narrated by:
Dave Summers

Length: 29 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Extasis is an ancient Greek word that refers to non-ordinary states of consciousness. While not all methods of achieving
extasis are work friendly, having access to higher thought processes to solve problems creatively is a skill any employer would be happy to encourage. Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, authors of the new book
Stealing Fire, are here to talk about how to tap into these resources and also why so many CEOs keep going to Burning Man.

2 out of 5 stars

podcast interview

By
Amazon Customer
on
05-06-18

You Have the Right to Remain Innocent

By:
James Duane

Narrated by:
James Duane

Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
423

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
375

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
372

Law professor James J. Duane became a viral sensation thanks to a 2008 lecture outlining the reasons why you should never agree to answer questions from the police - especially if you are innocent and wish to stay out of trouble with the law. In this timely, relevant, and pragmatic new book, he expands on that presentation, offering a vigorous defense of every citizen's constitutionally protected right to avoid self-incrimination.

5 out of 5 stars

Good to know and remember

By
Marie
on
11-04-16

The Rise of Superman

Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance

By:
Steven Kotler

Narrated by:
Jeff Cummings

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,892

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,626

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,629

In this groundbreaking audiobook,
New York Times best-selling author Steven Kotler decodes the mystery of ultimate human performance. Drawing on over a decade of research and first-hand reporting with dozens of top action and adventure sports athletes like big wave legend Laird Hamilton, big mountain snowboarder Jeremy Jones, and skateboarding pioneer Danny Way, Kotler explores the frontier science of “flow”, an optimal state of consciousness in which we perform and feel our best.

2 out of 5 stars

There is no way some of these reviews are real

By
Mike
on
05-01-15

Stealing Fire

How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work

By:
Steven Kotler,
Jamie Wheal

Narrated by:
Fred Sanders

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,251

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,737

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,724

The authors of the best-selling
Bold and
The Rise of Superman explore altered states of consciousness and how they can ignite passion, fuel creativity, and accelerate problem solving, in this groundbreaking book in the vein of Daniel Pink's
Drive and Charles Duhigg's
Smarter Faster Better.

1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing. Not what it promises to be.

By
R8r
on
03-18-17

Bold

How to Go Big, Make Bank, and Better the World

By:
Peter H. Diamandis,
Steven Kotler

Narrated by:
Steven Kotler

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,122

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,683

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,666

Bold is a radical, how-to guide for using exponential technologies, moonshot thinking, and crowd-powered tools to create extraordinary wealth while also positively impacting the lives of billions.

5 out of 5 stars

Great book

By
SiuMoi
on
02-20-15

Abundance

The Future Is Better Than You Think

By:
Steven Kotler,
Peter H. Diamandis

Narrated by:
Arthur Morey

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,650

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,143

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,131

We will soon be able to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. This bold, contrarian view, backed up by exhaustive research, introduces our near-term future, where exponentially growing technologies and three other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions of people. This book is an antidote to pessimism by tech-entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler.

5 out of 5 stars

Hope with Confidence

By
Dan
on
07-25-12

Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal on Optimizing Your Consciousness

By:
Stephen Kotler,
Jamie Wheal

Narrated by:
Dave Summers

Length: 29 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Extasis is an ancient Greek word that refers to non-ordinary states of consciousness. While not all methods of achieving
extasis are work friendly, having access to higher thought processes to solve problems creatively is a skill any employer would be happy to encourage. Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, authors of the new book
Stealing Fire, are here to talk about how to tap into these resources and also why so many CEOs keep going to Burning Man.

2 out of 5 stars

podcast interview

By
Amazon Customer
on
05-06-18

You Have the Right to Remain Innocent

By:
James Duane

Narrated by:
James Duane

Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
423

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
375

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
372

Law professor James J. Duane became a viral sensation thanks to a 2008 lecture outlining the reasons why you should never agree to answer questions from the police - especially if you are innocent and wish to stay out of trouble with the law. In this timely, relevant, and pragmatic new book, he expands on that presentation, offering a vigorous defense of every citizen's constitutionally protected right to avoid self-incrimination.

5 out of 5 stars

Good to know and remember

By
Marie
on
11-04-16

Get Big Fast and Do More Good

Start Your Business, Make It Huge, and Change the World

By:
Ido Leffler,
Lance Kalish

Narrated by:
Nico Evers-Swindell

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
62

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
45

Story

4 out of 5 stars
47

Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish, two 29-year-old Australians with very different backgrounds and skills, cofounded their company in 2006 with little more than a dream - and made it big. Yes To Carrots has become one of the biggest natural beauty brands in the world and is one of the fastest-growing skincare brands. Leffler and Kalish have accomplished it all while maintaining solid principles, investing in meaningful business relationships, giving back to the community, and still making it home in time for dinner.

5 out of 5 stars

Insightful and very entertaining.

By
Lisa Coleman
on
04-23-18

Talk Is (Not!) Cheap

The Art of Conversation Leadership

By:
Jim McCann

Narrated by:
Mel Foster

Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
16

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
14

Story

4 out of 5 stars
14

For Jim McCann, the founder and CEO of the world’s leading florist, 1-800-Flowers.com, being open and ready to speak to a variety of audiences is his most powerful leadership tool. In Talk Is (Not!) Cheap, McCann illustrates how the art of conversation leadership - the process he developed to engage others and create forward momentum in the workplace - can be used to inspire, innovate, and win. Using a blend of how-to and insightful personal stories, this audiobook argues that the gift of gab may just be the most critical (and undervalued) skill set in today’s workplace.

4 out of 5 stars

1-800-Conversation Leadership

By
Stan Stinson
on
03-02-18

Digital Disruption

Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation

By:
James McQuivey

Narrated by:
James McQuivey

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
80

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
71

Story

4 out of 5 stars
70

You always knew digital was going to change things, but you didn’t realize how close to home it would hit. In every industry, digital competitors are taking advantage of new platforms, tools, and relationships to undercut rivals, get closer to customers, and disrupt the usual ways of doing business. The only way to compete is to evolve. James McQuivey of Forrester Research has been teaching people how to do this for more than a decade. He’s gone into the biggest companies, even in traditional industries like insurance and consumer packaged goods, and changed the way they think about innovation.

3 out of 5 stars

Chapter 1 is enough

By
John Rohde Jensen
on
07-10-14

Prediction Machines

The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence

By:
Ajay Agrawal,
Joshua Gans,
Avi Goldfarb

Narrated by:
LJ Ganser

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
324

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
282

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
283

Artificial intelligence does the seemingly impossible - driving cars, trading stocks, and teaching children. But facing the sea change that AI will bring can be paralyzing. How should companies set strategies, governments design policies, and people plan their lives for a world so different from what we know? In Prediction Machines, three eminent economists recast the rise of AI as a drop in the cost of prediction. With this single, masterful stroke, they lift the curtain on the AI-is-magic hype and show how basic tools from economics provide clarity about the AI revolution and a basis for action by CEOs, managers, policy makers, investors, and entrepreneurs.

3 out of 5 stars

Not sure what I was expecting, but underwhelmed

By
WJ Brown, Audible Customer
on
09-27-18

The Sky Below

A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed

By:
Scott Parazynski,
Susy Flory

Narrated by:
Scott Parazynski,
Homer Hickam

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
509

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
472

Story

4 out of 5 stars
471

An epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation,
The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski's death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest - his body ravaged by a career in space - listeners will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer.

4 out of 5 stars

Lots of adventure

By
C Turner
on
01-11-18

Ambition Addiction

How to Go Slow, Give Thanks, and Discover Joy Within

By:
Benjamin Shalva

Narrated by:
Benjamin Shalva

Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

Ambition is a blessing. It is a key motivator driving people to achieve their hopes and dreams. But for many, accomplishment is never enough. In a culture obsessed with fame and celebrity, the burning desire for acclaim, conquest, and domination can be overwhelming - to the detriment of one's personal life. This is ambition addiction: the all-encompassing yearning for success at any cost.

A Small Furry Prayer

Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life

By:
Steven Kotler

Narrated by:
Kevin Foley

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
62

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
54

Story

4 out of 5 stars
55

Steven Kotler was 40 years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs - then 10, then 20, and then they lost count - bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico....

5 out of 5 stars

Great book

By
Shirley
on
08-29-11

Unbound

How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink

By:
Richard L. Currier

Narrated by:
Noah Michael Levine

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
40

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
37

Story

4 out of 5 stars
37

Although we usually think of technology as something unique to modern times, our ancestors began to create the first technologies millions of years ago in the form of prehistoric tools and weapons. Over time, eight key technologies gradually freed us from the limitations of our animal origins.

3 out of 5 stars

Start at Chapter 8

By
Apollo
on
02-22-19

AI Superpowers

China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

By:
Kai-Fu Lee

Narrated by:
Mikael Naramore

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
983

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
843

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
842

In his provocative new book, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee - one of the world’s most respected experts on artificial intelligence - reveals that China has suddenly caught up to the US, the leader in AI, at an astonishingly rapid pace. Building upon his longstanding US-Sino technology career (working at Apple, Microsoft, and Google) and his much-heralded New York Times Op-Ed from June 2017, Dr. Lee predicts that Chinese and American AI will have a stunning impact on not just traditional blue-collar industries but will also have a devastating effect on white-collar professions.

3 out of 5 stars

Compelled to listen at 2x speed

By
Eugene
on
09-26-18

Walden on Wheels

On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom

By:
Ken Ilgunas

Narrated by:
Nick Podehl

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,247

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,111

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,115

The story of a student who went to extraordinary lengths - including living in a van on a campus parking lot - to complete his education without sacrificing his financial future. In a frank and self-deprecating voice, memoirist Ken Ilgunas writes about the existential terror of graduating from college with $32,000 in student debt. Inspired by Thoreau, Ilgunas set himself a mission: get out of debt as soon as humanly possible. To that end, he undertook an extraordinary three-year transcontinental journey.

4 out of 5 stars

Delightful and infuriating, both.

By
karen
on
05-03-15

Power Moves

Lessons from Davos

By:
Adam Grant

Narrated by:
Adam Grant

Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,500

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,496

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,463

Power is changing. Private corner offices and management by decree are out, as is unquestioned trust in the government and media. These former pillars of traditional power have been replaced by networks of informed citizens who collectively wield more power over their personal lives, employers, and worlds than ever before. So how do you navigate this new landscape and come out on top? Adam Grant, Wharton organizational psychologist, went to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the epicenter of power, and sat down with thought leaders from around the world, to find out.

2 out of 5 stars

There are only a couple interviews from Davos.

By
Kindle Customer
on
01-13-19

Ancient Civilizations of North America

By:
Edwin Barnhart,
The Great Courses

Narrated by:
Edwin Barnhart

Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
820

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
753

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
750

For the past few hundred years, most of what we’ve been taught about the native cultures of North America came from reports authored by the conquerors and colonizers who destroyed them. Now - with the technological advances of modern archaeology and a new perspective on world history - we are finally able to piece together their compelling true stories. In Ancient Civilizations of North America, Professor Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center, will open your eyes to a fascinating world you never knew existed - even though you’ve been living right next to it, or even on top of it.

5 out of 5 stars

A different perspective - civilizations not tribes

By
Steve Goppert
on
07-26-18

Publisher's Summary

New York Times, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Discover bestselling author Steven Kotler has written extensively about those pivotal moments when science fiction became science fact...and fundamentally reshaped the world. Now he gathers the best of his best, updated and expanded upon, to guide listeners on a mind-bending tour of the far frontier, and how these advances are radically transforming our lives. From the ways science and technology are fundamentally altering our bodies and our world (the world's first bionic soldier, the future of evolution) to those explosive collisions between science and culture (life extension and bioweapons), we're crossing moral and ethical lines we've never faced before.

As Kotler writes, "Life is tricky sport - and that's the emotional core of this story, the real reason we can't put Pandora back in the box. When you strip everything else away, technology is nothing more than the promise of an easier tomorrow. It's the promise of hope. And how do you stop hope?"

Join Kotler in this fascinating exploration of our incredible next: a deep dive into those future technologies happening now - and what it means to be a part of this brave new world.

"Bionic Man" first appeared in
Playboy, July 2012; "Everlasting: The Genius Who Sticks Around Forever" first appeared in
New York Times Magazine, June 2000; "Extreme States" first appeared in
Discover, July 2005; "Evolution's Next Stage" first appeared in
Discover, February 2013; "Vision Quest” first appeared in
Wired, September 2002; "Re-Engineering the Everglades" first appeared in
Wired, February 2002; "The Buckaroo Bonzai" first appeared in
Make, January 2013; "Meltdown or Motherload" first appeared on EcoHearth.com, November 2013; "Space: The Final Sport Frontier" first appeared on Slate.com, March 2014; "Building a Better Mosquito" first appeared on Salon.com, January 2004; "The Great Galactic Gold Rush" first appeared in
Playboy, October 2010; "The Psychedelic Renaissance" first appeared in
Playboy, March 2010; "Sympathy for the Devil" first appeared in
LA Weekly, July 2005; "The Final Frontier" first appeared in
LA Weekly, January 2003; "Hacking the President's DNA" first appeared in
Atlantic, November 2012; "The God of Sperm" first appeared in
LA Weekly, September 2007.

Interesting but not what I expected

This book is quite interesting to losten. But my expectations were much higher. I thought it will spark a huge interest in me to speculate and discuss our future development with friends. Like gadgets installed in our hands, no more screens etc. it covers these issues just a little bit. I think this book could have been focused on one or two subjects and cover them in greater detail. Instead of dispersing an attention all over the place.

Covers a lot of different topics in many industries

Very interesting and facilitating technology discussed. Some sections drag on a bit and you feel like you're watching a documentary. Good research and evidence presented but you have no doubt on the political leanings of the author as he paints one side favorable and the other to be ignorant, science-stopping roadblocks. However, good book overall that gets you thinking about the technology of tomorrow.

Well done...

I found this a fun read, and have listened to this audiobook one a few times already. Though a future prediction of technology book created in 2015, it still holds insightful and interesting. I will keep my eye open for books narrated by Tom Parks.

A Must-Listen for fans of Futurism

Parks delivers a wonderfully engaging narration to this fact-heavy memoir...is it even a memoir? More of a journalistic think piece, this is a collection of essays on the present day status of futurism buzzwords like “bio-hacking” and “asteroid mining” and “flying cars”. Make no mistake, the future is here! A bit dated actually, as this was put together a few years ago and many of the topics covered in the book are currently now beyond what the author even anticipated in his reporting, but an insightful and interesting listen nonetheless. My favorite stories: artificial limb replacement, stem cells, restoring the Everglades, and asteroid mining.

A Look at the Future with a Liberal Bias

Conservatives and Evangelicals like me may get annoyed when reading parts of this book. The author has little respect for those who may want to question or hold back scientific enquiry. He brings up the old embryonic stem cell debate of the early 2000s as an example. I fear those who wish to sidestep the ethical and moral issues for the sake of progress or the vague promise of a future cure are not to be trusted. History shows that technological advances for good are often used for evil purposes. Tomorrowland: proceed with caution.

Well written, but lacking in evidence

The author has done a decent job crafting his words, and the narrator a good job at delivering them, but unfortunately this book is rather lacking in content. Most of the book is spent bringing up potential technologies, and then, without any sort of evidence of performance, the author repeatedly imposes science fiction upon what is meant to be science fact. Disappointing, unfortunately not the book described In the summary.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Sort by:

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

mike ryan

06-07-15

Entertaining,and impressive depth of research.

Rare to come accross a book that entertains and fascinates and yet has still managed to do a good depth of research on such a diffuse range of topics,well written and well presented.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sort by:

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Jo

10-29-17

Great book. Just get it.

Riveting from start to finish. I just finished it an I’m going to start it again because there is so much in it!